Guinea-Bissau shuts down 2 Portuguese media outlets, expels their journalists

Authorities ordered the immediate and indefinite closure of the LUSA and RTP offices and the discontinuation of local broadcasts of RTP, and said that Portuguese journalists with the two outlets should leave the country by August 19, according to a joint statement by LUSA and RTP and a statement by the local journalists’ union, SINJOTECS.

“Guinea-Bissau’s closure of LUSA and RTP is the latest sign of the government’s hostility to the media and raises significant concerns about the public’s access to independent journalism ahead of the country’s general elections in November,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “Guinea-Bissau should allow LUSA and RTP to continue operating freely and ensure that journalists can work in the country without undue interference.”

Authorities did not provide an explanation for their actions, according to LUSA director, Luísa Meirelles, and RTP Chair Nicolau Santos, both of whom spoke to CPJ. Prime Minister Braima Camará and President Sissoco Embaló declined to answer questions from journalists on the subject at an August 15 press conference, but promised a forthcoming statement, which has yet to be issued.

During a state visit to Cape Verde on August 17, Embaló told journalists that the closure of the outlets is “a problem between Guinea-Bissau and Portugal.”

Santos told CPJ that although he still hopes the decision will be reversed soon, he fears it might remain in place until the November elections because “authorities are not interested in having independent news coverage.”